Shark attacks badly injure two teens in US

A teenage girl had part of her arm torn off and a boy was also badly injured in separate shark attacks in a North Carolina seaside town on Sunday, officials and US media said.

Authorities raced to get people out of the water at picturesque Oak Island after a shark mauled a girl of 14, followed soon after by a 16-year-old boy who reportedly lost his arm, NBC News said.

The girl, who was visiting the area with family, was airlifted to a hospital for urgent treatment, said Oak Island Mayor Betty Wallace.

"One of the things we hope we never have to hear from a beach community; the shark bite victim is a teenage girl," Wallace wrote on Facebook.

"Confirmed that she has lost part of her left arm and may lose her left leg. Please keep this girl and her family in your prayers." Less than 30 minutes later, the boy was also attacked. NBC News said he was similarly rushed to a hospital for treatment.

The incidents happened just a few miles up the coast from Ocean Isle Beach, where a 13-year-old girl was bitten by a shark on Thursday suffering lacerations to her right foot, local media said.

Red flags have reportedly been hoisted at most Brunswick County beaches and a helicopter was scouring the waters for the shark.